


Dress, Voice, Style, Movement

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Nott/Yeza, F/M, Warning: Trent Ikithon, image consultant au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-01 10:40:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20813771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: Hotel heiress Jester is preparing to fill her mother's shoes and it's up to image consultant Caleb to make sure that she's polished for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WIDOJEST COLLAB!! So my partner is the fabulous bones/bonesout who did the art, and we had to prompts: control and image. So we decided to do an image consultant AU. We hope that you all enjoy it.

Caleb Widogast sat stiffly in the grand hotel room. He most likely would’ve been stiff anywhere, but he was especially uncomfortable there. Such finery wasn’t meant for people like him. True he commonly worked for the rich and famous, but the trappings of their lives always felt too much for him. Checking his watch for the eighth time, he sighed. His newest client was supposed to meet him there 38 minutes ago, and if the rumors were true she was going to be a handful.

Her name was Jester Lavorre, and there wasn’t anyone in the country that hadn’t heard of the heiress of the Lavish Chateau chain. The rumors about her ranged from her owning 800 pairs of shoes to her being in some kind of cult to her being the daughter of a mob boss. Caleb had been going through all the rumors he could find and ranking them in both believability and how dangerous they were to Jester’s reputation. The most dangerous being the headlines of the tabloids that week.

Apparently Jester had been caught in a compromising position with some senator(Caleb found it interesting that in all the tabloids he checked he had not once found the senator’s name mentioned. The man must’ve had an impressive bribe fund). The details and what was true hardly mattered to Caleb. What mattered was how the public saw Jester, and at the moment, it wasn’t good. Which was why Caleb was brought in.

The door flung open interrupting Caleb’s thoughts and a blue tiefling bounced into the room. Her messy, curly hair was a shade darker than true blue and contrasted with her light blue skin. Freckles dusted her nose and the shoulder peeking out from her crooked wide collar. The dress she was wearing looked like it belonged on a twelve year old with its bright yellows and pinks. Caleb had to hide a frown at the sight of her. He recognized her immediately; this was his client, Jester Lavorre, and already Caleb knew that he was going to his work cut out for him.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Your coat smells really weird. Is it from like the 80s or something? You should probably get a new one.”

“You know, most people consider it rude to ask personal questions before you’ve even been properly introduced.” Caleb adjusted his coat. She might’ve been close on how old his coat was. He wasn’t the first owner of it, and the coat likely had served a long time in the wardrobe of its previous owner. But the brown coat suited Caleb well and it was comfortable.

Jester flashed at him a bright smile with more than a hint of fang. “Hi, I’m Jester.” She extended her hand to Caleb.

He shook it carefully. “Hallo, my name is Caleb Widogast and I’m to be your new image consultant.”

“Oh.” A pout crossed Jester’s face. “Right, that. You know, I probably don’t actually need an image consultant. I’m pretty great as it already is.”

Caleb held back a sigh. “It’s my understanding that you are to take over as the face of the Lavish Chateau in only six weeks and three days. Hardly anytime to prepare in the best of times and that’s without all the tabloids flinging your name about.”

Jester’s face turned a faint purple. Caleb had to admit that she did look a little cute, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He was a professional with a job to do. “It wasn’t my fault,” Jester said, “I didn’t even do anything.”

“I’ve found that when trouble arises with powerful men, the blame rarely rests on the right shoulders. But that is out of either of our hands. What we’ll be doing is damage control,” Caleb said.

“So you believe me?” Her voice sounded desperate.

Caleb shrugged. “That’s not my job. My job is to make sure that when people see you, that mess is the last thing they think of.”

“Oh,” Jester said. It was soft and disappointed, but that wasn’t Caleb’s concern.

“We’ll start with practicing public speaking, social etiquette, and a makeover of course.”

Jester rolled her eyes. “Of course. Are you even any good at this? You look like a librarian dipped in mud.”

“My presentation has nothing to do this,” Caleb said.

Jester scowled. “I’m not going to take advice from someone who dresses like a hobo.”

Caleb had to remind himself how much he was getting paid before responding. “My results speak louder than my clothes.”

“Your clothes barely whisper. There’s these things called colors, you’ve heard of them right?”

“I’m not colorblind, I know what colors are. Besides, I won’t be your stylist. That’s what Essik’s for. I’m decorum, body language, and confidence,” Caleb said.

“Who needs to be taught how to be confident?” Jester asked.

He looked away. “You’d be surprised how many people need that.”

Jester blew her bangs out of her face. “I’m pretty sure you’re just going to be disappointed by how much I don’t need you.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Caleb could already tell how hopeless she was, but he was falling behind on his payments, so he didn’t have much of a choice on the matter. He just hoped that the money was enough to keep himself from pulling his hair out.

* * *

Jester had spent only 20 minute with Caleb and he was already driving her crazy. He was quite possibly the dullest man to have ever existed. The way he went on about how and what JE\ester should be doing reminded her of some of the stuffier tutors her mother brought in for her. And he insisted on walking everywhere, so Jester had to wear a hoodie and sunglasses to hide who she was.

Caleb was silent the whole way except for occasionally pointing out where they were going. Eventually they made there way to a small office on the north side of the city. There were motivational posters and cheesy paintings of western scenes on the walls. It looked comfortable enough with a couple of soft couches. “I’ll be out in a moment,” a voice called out from the back. It was masculine and probably came from Port Damali or some place near it.

“Pardon about that, just needed to take care of my snake.” A lean, tall half-orc came out of the back. He lacked the typical tusks of a half-orc, but that didn’t stop him from being handsome with a streak of gray in his hair. At the top of his head, his skin started as a dark green and faded to pale. All in all, he was hot.

Jester waggled her eyebrows. "Your snake huh?"

A greenish blush crept over Fjord's face. "Yeah, my snake."

"Is it a pretty big snake?" Jester asked.

The half-orc coughed. "Not really, it's only twelve inches long."

"That's pretty big for a snake," Jester said waggling her eyebrows even more.

"It's just a milk snake," Caleb said. "And this has nothing to do with the business at hand. Jester, I would like you to meet Fjord, he's going to be your public speaking teacher. Fjord, this is Miss Jester Lavorre."

Fjord flashed a toothy smile at her and shook her hand delicately. A swarm of butterflies landed in Jester's stomach. "Charmed," he said.

"Uh, yeah me too," Jester said. She could already tell that she was going to really like public speaking.

Caleb raised an eyebrow watching the exchange. "I'll be sitting in on your lessons. It's not my forte, but I can help a little."

Fjord frowned at this. "You usually trust me to handle things."

"Ja, I do. Miss Lavorre is just an important client and I don't want either of you to feel overwhelmed by this."

Jester couldn't help but pout a little bit. She was just starting to like part of this dumb image consulting stuff and now Caleb wouldn't even leave her alone to enjoy it.

Fjord just shrugged. "You're the boss. Let's start with warm up exercises."

* * *

Caleb had to give credit where credit was due. Jester was a better study than he had expected. Though part of it may have been due to her teacher. He was aware of the fact that most people found Fjord handsome, but he never saw a client have such an obvious crush on him before. Fjord could be trusted to not exploit that, but Caleb didn't want to take any chances.

Jester took what Fjord said very seriously (well, except for when she made the occasional innuendo). She agreed to do some homework and to practice the basic drills Fjord gave her. Caleb was just glad that there was someone that Jester would listen to because it certainly wasn't Caleb.

At the moment, Jester was zigzagging on the street while Caleb was trying to explain to her the plan for the next month and a half, but she wasn't listening. "Oh there's an ice cream stand! We should totally get some," Jester said.

"We don't have time for that," Caleb said. "We have a schedule to keep and we've already fallen behind it."

"Well, then it wouldn't matter if we're even more late then." Jester was practically skipping as they crossed the street. She was careful to never step on the white lines of the crosswalk.

Caleb frowned. "That's not how it works. I've already adjusted the time for our appointment with Essik and I'm not moving it again."

Jester pouted and a small part of Caleb had to admit that it was cute. "But Cay-leb, ice cream!"

"You'll just spoil your appetite for dinner."

Jester’s lip wobbled a little and her eyes grew wide and sad.

"Puppy dog eyes do not work on me. I don't like dogs," Caleb said.

A melodramatic gasp left Jester's mouth. "But everyone likes dogs."

Caleb shook his head. "Not me. They're loud and smelly and are mean. Cats are better." And his cat Frumpkin was best.

"Cats are pretty good, but I want a dog. My mom says that dogs don't like living in hotels though," Jester said.

"She would know." Marion Lavorre was the spokeswoman of the Lavish Chateau chain until Jester takes over in a month and a half. Marion was also the CEO, but she was going to keep that position.

Jester gasped as they passed the park. "Caleb! Ducks! We should feed them bread."

"You're not getting out of your appointment, Miss Lavorre. Not even to feed ducks," Caleb said. "Besides, bread makes ducks sick."

"What?! Since when?!"

Caleb gave it some thought. "For a long time, I suppose. I read about it in a magazine. Apparently, bread isn't good for them and causes mold to grow in their ponds."

Jester grabbed his arm. "We have to stop people from feeding them bread then."

"That's not our jobs. I'm sure the park probably has signs or something letting people know what they should be feeding the ducks."

"And what if they don't?" A very tense and serious look was on Jester's face.

"I don't really know. I just read that you should feed ducks corn and peas and things like that," Caleb said.

Jester nodded with determination. "Okay, so we'll go to the store right now and get the ducks and geese some corn and peas."

"We won't be doing anything like that. We have a stylist appointment to go to." Caleb folded his arms and stared down at Jester.

"Are you saying that the poor innocent ducks, whose only crime in life is being cute, should get sick?" It was a little unnerving to see just how serious she could be. Maybe there was a way for Caleb to use it to their advantage. "I know a store that’s super close by. We can get everything we need there." Jester turned and was already walking away from Caleb giving him no choice but to chase after her.

It definitely was not how he was expecting to spend his afternoon. After they went to a small grocery store, Caleb's arms were filled with bags of frozen corn and peas. Oddly enough, he wasn't going to complain. There was something about seeing Jester being so determined that made him want to smile, but that was something he never did in front of a customer. He had an image to uphold.

"See Caleb," Jester said, "that's not so bad. Now we got plenty of food for the ducks."

"Ja, but I don't think they need quite this much food," Caleb pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but there's a pond near the hotel too and those ducks also need healthy food." She spun around to face Caleb. “So it’s super important that we get enough peas for all the ducks.”

Caleb just sighed and was glad that he thought to text Essik while they were in line at the grocery store that they would be late due to an 'emergency'. Essik didn't need to know that the emergency involved hungry ducks. "The ducks at the hotel will have to wait."

Jester rolled her eyes. "I know that. They'll get their peas for dinner. Come on, we're nearly there!"

"Fine," Caleb said picking up his pace to catch up to her. Despite her short legs, Jester moved very quickly.

It was a small pond and most likely man made, but there were plenty of ducks and geese there. A couple of families were there tossing little bits of bread to the ducks. Jester gasped. "We have to stop them!" She ran ahead and by the time Caleb caught up, Jester had already converted them to feeding the ducks vegetables. "Cay-leb! Give them one of the bags."

With a dutiful sigh, Caleb lightened his load of a bag of peas and corn each. Jester took a third bag leaving Caleb with two. She happily torn into the bag and tossed peas high and wide for the birds. "We've fed the ducks, can we go now?" Caleb asked.

"That was just one handful," Jester said. "Ducks can eat a lot more than that."

"You're not going to leave until you're good and ready, are you?" Caleb asked. Jester shook her head with a smile. "Very well then, while we're here let's discuss the importance of goals."

Jester scattered more peas about. "Goals?"

"Ja, goals. Having a clear set goals are very important. It's how you prepare for the future and decide what you need to do. Such as for your future as spokeswoman and face of Lavish Chateau," Caleb said.

Jester's face fell. "Oh, yeah that." But her face brightened back up quickly."Yeah, no, I got loads of goals for that."

"Such as?"

"Such as ... being a good spokeswoman?" She took out an individual pea and flicked it out at a lone duck who caught it.

Caleb reminded himself of how much money was on the line for this job. "Where do you see yourself in five months from now?"

Jester shrugged. "As the face of Lavish Chateau, I guess."

"You stand a good chance of becoming CEO one day. This is an opportunity to build the skills that you'll need."

"I know, I know." Jester sighed. "Can't I just live in the moment?"

Caleb frowned. "It's hardly becoming."

"Depends on what I become," Jester said tossing some more peas.

"We'll start with smaller short term goals." Caleb decided against probing into what she said. That wasn't what he was there for. "Such as growing your presentation skills and getting a new wardrobe."

Jester perked up at that. "A new wardrobe?"

"Ja, you'll need a selection of business attire."

Jester frowned and shrunk a little. "Oh, right. Let’s just go.” She dumped the rest of the peas on the ground causing a feeding frenzy amongst the ducks.

* * *

Jester was quiet the rest of the way to the stylist. What Caleb said weighed on her mind. It wasn’t that she didn’t have goals, but they were just small goals and unimportant in comparison to what everyone else wanted for her. And it wasn’t like she didn’t want to take over for her mom. Her mom deserved a break, but Jester wished that there wasn’t so much people telling her who to be.

“Here we are,” Caleb said holding a door open. It was a fancy salon, the kind that was high end and slick with a bunch of different shades of gray. Jester found it all to be boring, but people seemed to like that sort of thing.

A drow cocked a white eyebrow at them. He was wearing some sort of cape that went down to the floor and hid his arms. “You’re late and not fashionably so.”

“I know, I apologize. Jester, this is Essik. He’ll be handling all style decisions,” Caleb said.

“And for good reason. Caleb can’t even be trusted to dress himself.” A slick smirk appeared on Essik’s face and Jester couldn’t help but giggle.

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Ja, ja, I know. I dress like a hobo, I’ve heard it all 97 times.”

“One day you’re going to give in and let me give you a makeover,” Essik said.

“Not likely,” Caleb said dryly. “Now we’re here for Miss Lavorre.”

Essik looked Jester over with a slight frown that she didn’t like. He circled around her and then let out a sigh. “You’re not giving me a lot to work with here, Widogast. Open your mouth.” She obeyed him, but there was something about it that made her uncomfortable. Tutting, he pushed her mouth closed with a click. “Fangs. Those will need to be capped. Nothing we can do about the horns, but the right hairstyle can minimize them.”

“Is that really necessary?” Caleb asked. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with his monotone voice.

“Oh yes. Tieflings are not in vogue at the moment and you need her to have a positive place in the public’s eye, so we need to get rid of her devilishness,” Essik said. “It’s fairly standard practice. We can’t change her skin, but we can dye her hair a more natural color.”

Jester stared down at the ground clutching the sides of her dress. It was like she wasn’t even there. She liked the way she looked, even if her hair was always a mess, but maybe Essik had a point.

Essik lifted Jester’s chin up with two fingers. “You do have potential though. Once you lose some weight.”

“Lose some weight?” Jester knew that she wasn’t super skinny, but she didn’t think that her weight was that bad. “I guess you might have a point there.” She gave him a smile and hoped that it wasn’t as weak as she felt.

“On second thought, Essik,” Caleb said, “I’m starting to think that my vision and yours for once do not overlap.”

Essik gave him a curious look. “I thought you didn’t have an opinion on what I did with your clients.”

“That is not the case this time. As much as I appreciate your work, this is one client I will be taking a different direction with. I will still pay you for your time though,” Caleb said.

Essik sneered at him. “You’re just wasting your time. Don’t be expecting to use my services again.”

Caleb stared at him and then nodded. “Very well. Come along, Miss Lavorre.”

It took Jester a moment to respond. She had no clue what just truly happened, but she had a feeling it was her fault. “Right,” she said and followed Caleb out of the store.

“Do you still want ice cream?” Caleb asked.

“But, don’t you think I should go on a diet?”

Caleb snorted. “That’s between you and your doctor. Or your nutritionist if you have one, I suppose. It’s none of my business.”

“Really?” Jester asked. “But Essik-”

“Overcharges and doesn’t know as much as he claims to. I should’ve found a new stylist months ago. So pay him no mind,” Caleb said. He stared ahead and didn’t look at Jester once as they walked along. “Do you still want ice cream?”

Jester grinned. “Yeah, I do.”

* * *

After Caleb took Jester back to the hotel, he was ready to drop, but his day wasn’t finished yet. The bell above him jingled as he entered the used bookstore that doubled as an antique shop. A small green head popped up from behind the counter. “Caleb!” Nott called out. “You’re back so late! Let me find you something to eat.” She was kinder than Caleb deserved, but he wasn’t ready to reject what she offered.

“Danke,” Caleb said. “But you really don’t have to.”

Nott waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense. I’m happy to help. Now how was your day?” Caleb let out a long drawn out sigh. “That bad, huh?”

“I just fired my stylist and my client has to be one of the strangest people that I’ve ever met,” Caleb said.

“Huh, I never liked your stylist anyways.” Nott rummaged in her bag and pulled out a granola bar of unknown age. “Here you go.”

Caleb took the granola bar with a small smile. “Danke. But, you’ve never met my stylist.”

“Well, he sounded terrible and like he didn’t deserve to work for you.”

“He worked with me, not for me,” Caleb pointed out. “Essik wasn’t my employee.”

Nott shrugged. “He’s still awful.”

“He wasn’t that bad. He just,” Caleb paused taking a bite of granola bar, “wasn’t good for this client.” Which was a bit of an understatement, but Nott didn’t need to know that.

“This new client of yours, what are they like?” Nott asked.

Caleb shook his head. “You know that I can’t tell you anything. That’s be disrespecting my client’s privacy.”

Nott shrugged with a smirk. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

“Ja, I can,” Caleb said with a hint of a smirk himself. “Do you need any help today?”

“No, Frumpkin was a big enough help today. You just go sit down.”

Caleb grinned to himself as Nott busied herself. Something hit his shoulder and he looked over to see Frumpkin, his cat, standing on his shoulder. “Oh, hallo there. I heard that you were helping Nott today. Are you ready to help me now?”

Frumpkin purred and rubbed his head against Caleb’s. Caleb scratched Frumpkin’s chin, sat down, and then pulled out his laptop. It was going to be a headache finding a stylist as good as Essik, especially so last second, but he’d had worse headaches.

* * *

Jester collapsed down onto her bed with a thump. Her day was too long for her liking, and the upcoming ones only promised to be longer.

A knock sounded on her door. “Jester? Are you here?”

“Yes Mom!” Jester called out.

Her mom stepped in clutching her robe close to herself. A smile spread across her face. “I’ve been waiting for you. How did today go?”

Jester shrugged. “Okay, I guess.” It had been overwhelming, and the thought of what the upcoming weeks were going to be like intimidated her. But her mom didn’t need to know that.

“I’m glad, but you know if there’s any issues with your image consultant to let me know?”

Jester nodded. “Yes, Mama, I know. Everything’s going great.”

Her mom smiled. “I’m so proud of you, my little sapphire. You’re going to be an amazing face.”

Part of Jester wanted to tell her mom that she didn’t feel ready at all. That she felt like this came out of nowhere and that she wasn’t prepared for this. Sure, she had known that this would happen someday, but Jester thought that it would be farther away and that she’d have time. Time to do what, Jester didn’t know, but she’d thought she’d get to see more of the world. But, she didn’t say any of that. Instead, she just gave her mom her biggest smile. “I know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have D&D real soon, but I just wanted to say that once again bones hit it out of the park with the art for this chapter.
> 
> Also the title of this fic comes from Rainbow High from Evita.

The next two days were a whirlwind of lessons with Fjord, Caleb nagging her, and studying. Caleb wasn’t as bad as Jester had first thought he’d be, but he just didn’t know how to relax. He was always talking about responsibility or how to act or being adult. Jester was an adult; it just looked different for her than other people, and she was tired of how everyone complained about it.

Part of what Caleb said kept floating in her head though. She just couldn't let go of what he said about goals. And maybe she did have a goal, but it wasn't one that anyone wanted to hear about.

On Thursday, Caleb came to get her. "We'll be meeting your stylist today, Miss Lavorre."

"Do we have to?" Jester asked. "Can't we just feed the ducks?"

"Nein, we -" Caleb stopped himself and looked over at Jester. "Is there something that you need to talk about?"

Jester shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I've just been thinking about goals a lot after what you said."

"Ja?"

"Yeah, I mean. There's something that I super want to do, but-" Jester trailed off and didn't look at Caleb. "It's silly."

"Maybe it is, but you should share it anyways," Caleb said. "Most ideas seem silly at first."

Jester took a breath. "Okay. So, there's this convention at the end of next month and this con is really tiny but it's going to be a lot of fun and I really want to go and stuff and I will, but the thing is they still have openings for panels and stuff and I want to host one and I think that it could be really good practice for me for public speaking ,but you're making me really super busy and I'd need to prepare for it and I don't know if I can do it or if anyone would want to listen to what I have to say, but I really want to do it."

Caleb blinked slowly. "Huh. That's, uh, a lot. So what is this convention?"

“Travelercon!” Jester did jazzhands to emphasize how cool it was going to be. “It’s all about traveling and going on adventures and doing pranks and mischief while you’re at it, and so I’m really excited about it. And I was thinking of maybe doing a panel. You know kinda as practice?”

“When is it?”

“The last Friday and Saturday of next month,” Jester said.

Caleb frowned. “That’s right before your premiere as the face of Lavish Chateau. You don’t have a lot of time for it.”

“I’ll work super hard. You’ll be all ‘oh, wow. Jester is so cool and put together. She’ll be super awesome at being a face.’”

Caleb gave it some thought. “Do you know what your panel would be about?”

“Well, I was thinking about talking about pranks you can do at hotels and stuff,” Jester said.

“Well, I guess it has something to do with the hotel industry.” Caleb rubbed his chin/beard. “You may have a point about this being good practice.”

Jester looked at him with surprise. “I do? I mean, yeah, I do.”

Caleb still had that serious expression on his face though. “But, your responsibilities will come first. Your Travelercon is just for fun.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.”

“It still shouldn’t be your priority,” Caleb said. “Now that that’s settled, it’s time to go to your new stylist.”

Jester hid a frown, but followed Caleb. If this stylist was like Essik, Jester knew that she was in for a long month and a half.

The salon was more cheerier than Essik’s place with warm browns and ribbons all about the place. A bell jingled above them as Caleb opened the door and a young woman turned around. She was thin and tall for a girl, but not as tall as Caleb. Her straight black hair covered the right side of her face and what wasn’t covers was pale. “Oh hello,” she said brightly. “Are you Mr. Caleb and Miss Jester?” As she got closer, Jester realized that the right side of her face was covered in black scales.

Jester took an instinctive step back, but Caleb held on to her shoulder holding her steady. “Ja, that would be us. And you are Calianna?”

“Yes, that’s me!” Calianna said nodding so quickly that her hair swished out of place and she had to put it back into place. “You’re very pretty, Miss Jester. I look forward to working with you.”

“You do?” Jester asked. A grin was on her face despite her dread of the appointment.

Calianna nodded again, but this time her hair stayed in place. “And with you Mister Caleb. I’ve never had anybody give me their references when booking an appointment, but they all spoke very highly of you.”

Caleb’s face turned a little red. “Ah, that’s good. Can we get started now?”

“Oh right.” Caliana spun around, grabbed a slim laptop, and showed them the screen. It was a collage of cute outfits. They weren’t necessarily the sort of things that Jester would’ve picked for herself, but they were better than Jester had expected. “I was thinking about this sort of thing for day to day wear.”

“I like the pink one,” Jester said.

Caleb considered it seriously. “And what were you thinking for business wear?”

“I was thinking of going more business casual,’ Calianna said as she quickly scrolled through several pages. Jester had to force back the urge to stick her tongue out at the outfit choices.

Caleb shook his head. “She needs to be seen as being serious. Once she’s more established, we can pull back and go more casual, but for now, we’ll need to go with strictly business wear.”

Jester was about to complain, but then that she wanted to prove herself for Travelercon. So she just kept quiet as Caleb and Calianna discussed clothes, styles, and colors.

“That covers most of it, but one more question; what’s appropriate to wear to a convention?” Caleb asked. Jester perked up with surprise. Did he really care that much about Travelercon?

Calianna tapped her chin giving it some thought. “A convention? I haven’t really been to any. What kind of convention is it?”

“It’s going to be the coolest traveling convention ever!” Jester’s tail wiggled about with excitement.

“Then I think a cloak? Maybe a green one?” Calianna suggested.

Jester gasped at the idea of it. “That’d be so cool and I could wear it everywhere.”

“Not everywhere,” Caleb interrupted. “They’re hardly fashionable.”

“I don’t know about that. Some styles of cloaks are starting to gain popularity. They’re popping up in a lot of fashion blogs,” Calianna said as she started to look some up.

Jester grinned. “See Caleb? Cloaks are popping up on fashion blogs and I should get one.”

Caleb sighed. “For the convention only. And maybe the occasional costume party.”

It wasn’t much, but Jester was willing to take it as a success. “Now for your hair.”

“What’s wrong with my current hairstyle?” Jester asked. She knew that it was frizzy and messy, but it was like that no matter what she did with it.

Calianna raised her hand slightly. “Umm, there’s just one thing. I know that I said I’d style and cut, but I didn’t realize just how curly Miss Jester’s hair is. It’s very pretty though, Miss Jester.”

Jester shrunk into herself. “Oh. Is it that bad?”

“No, it’s nothing like that, Miss Jester. I wish that my hair was like yours,” Calianna said. “It’s just that I don’t know how to cut curly hair.”

“At least you’re telling us now and not after cutting it. A lot of hairdressers don’t even realize there’s a difference. That leaves us without a hairdresser again though.” A serious frown was on Caleb’s face.

“Maybe you could try Professor Waccoh? She’s famous for styling curls,” Calianna said.

Caleb laughed dryly. “And for being nearly impossible to get an appointment with. I’ve been trying to get her to work with me for years. I was lucky that Essik studied under her for a few months and could do a decent job with curls.”

“There’s Shakaste’s down the street,” Calianna said. “He’s retired now, but everyone there has very curly hair.”

“I’ll need to look into there then. But, for now,” he turned towards Jester, “stop brushing your hair.”

Jester gave him a strange look. “What?”

Another sigh came out of Caleb. “You should never brush curly hair. It just makes it a mess. And while you’re at only shampoo your hair every other day, but keep conditioning your hair everyday and use plenty of conditioner. And use cold water to rinse.”

“How do you know so much about curly hair care?” Jester asked.

“My hair used to be much curlier when I was younger.” Caleb’s hair had a little wave to it, but it was also a little greasy and looked simply uncared for. Part of Jester wondered if he actually took care of it if it would be curlier.

Calianna jotted down some notes on her laptop. “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”

“Nein, but we’ll be by next week to look at more selections and try on some samples,” Caleb said. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” Calianna said as she waved them goodbye.

Jester was humming on their way to their next appointment. The stylist was much better than she had been expecting, and Caleb seemed to be a lot more relaxed after it. "Caleb? Can I ask you a question?"

"Ja, you just did, so you certainly can," Caleb said.

Jester pouted a little and stuck her tongue out at Caleb. "I meant a serious question."

Caleb glanced at her and nodded. "Ja, you may."

"Right, so you know a lot about fashion and stuff and hair and that sort of thing," Jester said. "So why do you dress like that?"

"Because it is comfortable."

Jester frowned and shook her head. "You keep talking about how important looks and presentation are and then you dress like a librarian trying to relive his glory days as a hobo."

Caleb chuckled and then quickly cleared his throat. "Some people wear clothes like it's their armor. It keeps them safe, ja? It can make them seem bigger or tougher. Others it's a like a disguise. Makes them seem like they are professional or know what they're doing. Like they belong where they are. For me, it's both."

"Armor and a disguise?" Jester frowned at that. "But you look kinda gross and stuff."

"Ja, it's easier to be ignored this way. My clients are the ones who should get the attention. Not me," Caleb said.

"So it makes you invisible?"

Caleb nodded. "Ja." Jester gave it some thought.

She guessed that it made a little sense. "But, you said it keeps you safe. How?"

"We're going to be late for our next appointment if we don't hurry,” Caleb said. He lengthened his strides and Jester had to hurry to keep up with him. He was hiding something. That much was obvious, but the question was what.

* * *

The next evening was a night that Caleb had been dreading. Dining etiquette. It was always awkward and full of small talk he wanted to avoid. Usually it was held at a restaurant and Caleb could feel how little he belonged there. But that evening they would be having it in a private dining room at the Lavish Chateau where Caleb belonged probably even less, but at least they'd be away from the public's eye.

Jester insisted on dressing up even though they were the only ones there and said that Caleb should too. He no longer had anything fit for a fine dining establishment, but he was able to find a button down pale blue shirt and a decent pair of slacks. Nott insisted on braiding forget-me-nots into Caleb's hair and declared that he looked very handsome. Caleb thought that he looked like himself in slightly different clothes.

They were to meet in the lobby of the hotel. Fortunately, Caleb had been there often enough for the bellboys to stop trying to get him to leave the second he arrived. He waited by the stairs for Jester and tried to not complain about her running late. Time did not exist for Jester as it did for Caleb. That was something that he was going to need to correct, but there would be time for that. Checking his clock for the seventh time, Caleb looked up to see Jester coming down the stairs and his jaw dropped.

Jester's hair was up in two little buns with a curled lock of hair on each side of her face framing it. Her dress was unlike any of Calianna's suggestions, but Caleb had to admit that it suited her. It was a pale pink with darker pink flowers decorating the skirt and sleeves, and a blue sash which matched her hair was wrapped around her waist. A green shawl was draped over her shoulders. There was a light touch of makeup if you excluded the dusting of glitter on her lips and eyelids. Caleb had to admit that there was a grace to her that he had never seen before. Then she saw him and bounded down the stairs with a giant grin on her face. "Cay-leb! You're here!"

"Ja, I am," Caleb said trying to hide the smile on his face. "You look very beautiful today, Ms. Lavorre."

"Thank you, you very handsome today too, Caleb," Jester said. "Oh, you see my dress when I twirl." She spun in a circle her skirt puffing around her.

Caleb chuckled despite himself. "That is very nice, but perhaps you should refrain from doing that in the future. It's not very adult."

Jester nodded seriously. "Right."

"Shall we then?" He offered his arm to Jester.

She slipped her arm into his and followed him as he led her to the private dining room. "This is nice." Jester was cool to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. It was kind of nice to have her on his arm if Caleb had to be honest.

"Your mother helped me arrange this," Caleb said. He would've had to gone to an actual restaurant, but fortunately Marion had suggested that they could use the Lavish Chateau as much as they needed for preparing Jester.

"She did? She's the best, you know?" Jester asked. Caleb sensed her tail waving about behind them.

Caleb slipped his arm away from Jester and pulled out a chair for Jester. "That is a good thing to know then." As Jester sat down, Caleb pushed the chair in. He sat down across from her.

Jester sat up straight in her chair with her hands folded in her lap. “Thank you for inviting me here tonight,” she said sounding like the picture of propriety.

“You’re very welcome,” Caleb said. They sat there for a moment in awkward silence. “Your hair looks nice.”

Jester grinned. “Thanks, I did what you told me to. You know, you should try doing it again too.”

“My hair is fine as it is.”

An eyebrow went up. “Cay-leb. It’s all flat and sad. You should try to make your hair happy.”

Caleb started to chuckle but he turned it into a cough. “It matches the rest of me as it is.”

“Are you sad, Caleb?” Jester asked leaning forward. “Do you need more friends?”

“I have a cat.”

Jester rolled her eyes. “A cat doesn’t count. I know! We should be friends!”

“That would hardly be professional,” Caleb pointed out.

Jester sagged a little. “Oh, right. I mean I hope that you’re endeavors with your cat friendship go well.” She sat up properly again with a serious look on her face. It was obvious that it was taking effort for her to sit still. Her tail would start to wiggle and, then with a frown Jester would stop it.

“You’re taking this very seriously, aren’t you?” Caleb would’ve never expected Jester to be serious about anything.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I’m super excited about Travelercon, so I have to do this. To get permission,” Jester said.

Caleb was taken aback. “Permission?” Jester nodded. "Miss Lavorre, you're an adult," Caleb said. "I may advise that you avoid public appearances, but you hardly need my permission to go out."

"I don't?" She sounded small and unsure, but she shook it off quickly. "Yeah, I know that. I was just checking."

Caleb frowned. He felt like there was something more going on there, but it wasn't his place to pry. "I'm glad that we're on the same page then."

"Right." Their meals arrived and Caleb was surprised to see Jester with practiced poise take the proper silverware and eat with the grace of a princess. She smiled when she noticed Caleb staring at her. "I've had like ten years of etiquette lessons already."

"You could've told me that," Caleb said. "No point in wasting your time."

Jester shook her head. "But it's not a waste of time. I just thought that you wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing. Besides, it's kinda fun having dinner together. And I was kind of thinking that you could use a good meal."

"You're nearly as bad as Nott," Caleb grumbled.

"Who's Nott?" Jester asked. "My friend. She lets me work from her used bookshop and keeps an eye on my cat." His cat who was probably missing him since Caleb had to work late that evening.

Jester leaned forward. "You have a cat?! Oh, yeah, you mentioned them earlier. What's their name?"

"His name is Frumpkin. And he is a very good boy."

"He sounds adorable."

Caleb smiled. "He is. And he's very good at knocking over all my cups."

Jester covered her mouth to laugh. "Oh no!"

"I've had to replace them all with plastic ones," Caleb said.

"You must love him a lot," Jester said.

Caleb paused for a moment. "Oh?"

"Well, you're smiling while talking about him breaking your stuff."

Caleb thought about it. He supposed that he must've been smiling. "He's been with me for a long time and he's helped me get through some rough spots."

"He sounds great. Can I meet him sometime?" Jester asked.

"I don't know if that would be appropriate." Caleb pulled back a little. He did not want to cross any boundaries.

Jester huffed out a little sigh. "But he sounds so cute and I want to meet Nott too. It can be practice for me."

"Practice?"

She nodded. "Yeah! For shopping etiquette!"

"You can just use a personal shopper or go online," Caleb pointed out. "There's hardly any need for you in this modern age to go out yourself."

"Oh, right." Jester shrunk back in her chair.

Caleb sighed. He couldn't believe what he was about to suggest. "But, perhaps that is a good idea. There should be time next week to go by Nott's."

Jester perked up with a big smile and Caleb's heart skipped a beat. "Thanks! I won't do anything to disgrace you."

"If only I could get Nott to promise the same."

“Is she bad?” Jester asked.

Caleb let out a dry chuckle. “She’s terrible. She’s a nosy little sister and over-protective mother all rolled into one. I don’t know what I’d do without her. You’ll probably like her.”

“She sounds great,” Jester said.

“Nott is.” A moment of quiet fell over them as they ate.

Jester sighed a little. "Are these things always so quiet?"

"What do you mean?" Caleb asked. "I mean it's just you and me and the quiet," Jester said.

Caleb wiped his mouth. "Well, usually these sorts of lessons or practical applications of them take place in a public space such as a ball or an important dinner ceremony."

Jester's tail perked up. "A ball? Do you really think I'll get to go to one of those?"

"I don't know. Some of my prior clients have had to prepare for them, but I don't know what your social schedule will look like," Caleb said.

Jester let out a dreamy sigh. "It sounds fun. Have you ever been to one?"

"Nein."

"Nine of them?" Jester asked with a smirk.

Caleb sighed. "I meant, no I have not. But I have helped train clients for one."

Jester scooted closer to him. "Does that include dancing?"

"Ja, I've taught a little bit of dance, but I'm not particularly skilled at it myself," Caleb said.

"Can you dance with me then?" Jester asked. "I took a bunch of waltz lessons and stuff when I was younger, I'd love to dance with you Caleb."

Caleb could feel just how bright of a red his face was turning. "I'm rusty. I just know a few dances."

"Please?" Her round eyes grew even bigger than usual.

He tried to resist, but it was no use. "Ja, when we are done eating we can dance."

Jester grinned and wiggled a little bit more in her chair.

Caleb smiled softly at her and then straightened himself. He was a professional. That was something he had prided himself on for years. He could not let himself slip up like this. She was his client and he was her image consultant. Nothing more and nothing less. But then Jester gave him another big toothy grin and he found himself grinning too.

Once she finished eating, Jester pulled out her cell phone from seemingly out of nowhere and cued up some music. "This should be a good playlist."

"Ja, okay," Caleb said as he got up. A frown crossed his face though as soon as he recognized the first song. It was a smalty love song sung between a boy and a girl who thought that they were much more grown up than they were.

"Is something the matter?" Jester asked.

Caleb made his face mute of emotions. "Just never liked this song. I couldn't escaped it back in high school."

"Oh yeah, this was everywhere when I was in middle school," Jester said. "This is by BAE, right? We can skip it if you want."

"If you would."

Jester grinned. "No problem. I am gracious host who wishes to make all of her guests comfortable." She clicked the skip button with a flourish. A string cover of the theme from some nerdy show started to play and Caleb relaxed.

"Danke," Caleb said. He offered Jester his arm and led her to the empty dance floor.

Jester smiled up at him as they got into position to begin a waltz. The first step Caleb stumbled a little, but after a moment, they smoothed out their awkward movements and were dancing something that resembled a fine waltz.

"You know, Caleb," Jester said, "you are very good at this."

"You don't have to lie," Caleb said. He nearly stepped on her feet twice.

Jester shook her head. "No, it's not a lie. You just have to be more confident. Didn't you say that confidence is an important thing to have?"

"Using my own words against me, Miss Lavorre?"

Jester pouted. "Cay-leb. Can't you just call me Jester? I think you've known me long enough to call me that."

Caleb shook his head gently. "It wouldn't be polite." "But only my mean old teachers call me that, and you're not mean at all. I mean, you can be a little weird and strict, but you're not mean," Jester said.

Caleb almost stopped dancing, but caught himself in time. "I'm not?"

"If you call me Jester, then you're not." There was a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Very well then," Caleb said. "Jester."

The smile on her face made his heart flip flop. If a man wasn't careful, he could easily find himself falling in love with Jester. It was a good thing then that Caleb was a very careful man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curly hair care!!! It's an important subject that is ignored!


	3. Chapter 3

There was an air of excitement all around Jester the next morning. She kept bouncing about her room as she got ready for the day. Caleb was her friend. Well, maybe not in the normal way that most people were friends, but he liked her and enjoyed working with her and maybe he didn’t say that in as many words, but she could tell that he did. Jester had a good sense for that sort of thing.

Jester made a point of wearing one of her prettiest skirts and matching tops before going down to meet Caleb. He was going to be so surprised when he sees that Jester got there before him. A big grin was plastered over her face as she waited for him. But it faded when she saw him.

Caleb looked tired. True, he always looked tired, but this was a new extreme of exhaustion even for Caleb. Dark circles were painted under his eyes and he was stiff. He stopped over a foot away from her. “Good morning, Jester.” Even though Caleb used her first name, it still sounded overly formal.

“Good morning, Caleb,” Jester said back. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Ja, I’m fine, I just had a lot of things to take care of last night.” Caleb wasn’t quite looking away, but he wasn’t looking at her either.

Jester frowned. “And I made you stay out so late with me.” 

“It’s fine,” Caleb said. “It was a good night. There was just something that came up.”

Jester examined Caleb closer. “Are you sure?”

Caleb took a step back. “Ja, it’s fine. Actually there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“Yeah and what’s that?” Jester asked.

“Dating.”

Jester’s face turned a hot purple. “What?” She liked Caleb, but dating him was a very sudden thought. No part of her knew what to think or what she quite wanted. Though if she was being honest, Caleb could be a good boyfriend if he just learned to relax more.

“Ja, you’re going to date someone eventually,” Caleb said. “Or at least I was assuming that you are the romantic type. So we need to prepare for when you do.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t mind dating,” Jester said as she calmed down. Of course he meant dating in general. There was no way someone like Caleb would want to date someone like her.

Caleb sighed. “I know this isn’t fair to have me examine your love life like this, but no matter what you do, the paparazzi are probably going to catch wind of it and have a field day with it. So it’s my responsibility to figure out how we want it to be seen.”

“How it’s seen?”

“Ja.” Caleb nodded. “If you decide you want a new lover each day, we can spin it as you being an independent woman. Or if you want a steady companion, we’ll paint it up as a perfect relationship. And if you want to just be alone, well we’ll make sure that everyone knows that’s alright too.”

“Oh.” There was some small part of Jester that wasn’t comfortable with this. “Can’t I just fall in love and let what happens happen?”

Caleb gave her an infinitely soft look. “That’s what ordinary people do, but you were born on a stage and there’s no getting off it. Not without losing yourself.”

Jester stared down at the ground. “Okay.” Her voice sounded small and soft even to herself.

“I’m not trying to bully you about this Jester, but when you do fall in love, I don’t want anyone to use it as a tool against you.” 

“Would they do that?” Jester asked.

Caleb stared out into the distance. “Ja, people would.”

“Did something happen? To one of your old clients?”

“Nein. It’s nothing for you to worry about,” Caleb said. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I actually was thinking that now might be a good time for you to do a little dating. Meet new people.”

Jester gave it some thought. She had never been on any sort of date before and had daydreamed for years about what it would be like to fall in love, but she wanted it to be a natural sort of thing. Meeting a handsome stranger and knowing the second their eyes meet that they are meant to be. It wasn’t likely, even Jester knew that, but she could dream.

“Or perhaps there is someone you already have in mind,” Caleb said. “Perhaps a certain handsome public speaking coach?”

As though on cue, Jester blushed hard. She had noticed how handsome Fjord was, and how kind he could be, and how pretty her name sounded when he said it, and maybe she had occasionally imagined what it would be like to be held in his arms. But nothing serious. “Well, maybe, I mean it’s not like that, that is … Do you think he likes me back?”

Caleb shrugged. There was a hint of sadness to his face, but there was always a hint of sadness to Caleb. “I don’t know, but I can ask him for you if you’d like.” 

Jester froze with indecision. Part of her didn't want to find out that he hated her or something, but she also couldn't stand the thought of not knowing either. "Could you?" 

"Ja," Caleb said. "It wouldn't be appropriate for him to be working with you if he was interested in you."

"Why not?"

Caleb sighed. "Because, he has power over you as your teacher. There's a power imbalance and he could take advantage of that over you." 

Jester frowned. She hadn't thought of it before. "Oh. Thank you Caleb." 

"You're welcome." He scratched his head and Jester noticed something for the first time.

"CALEB!" 

Caleb jumped nearly a foot. "What?!"

"You washed your hair!" Jester's tail swished all about behind her. "It's so pretty and shiny."

Caleb was blushing hard and looked away. "I thought about what you said last night and thought that you might've had a point there."

Jester grinned at him. "I might not be a stylist, but I do know about pretty things and that includes you Caleb."

He managed to turn redder. "Danke, but I'm not really anything."

"But you are. You're super smart and nice and you look after me and you are pretty," Jester said. "You should get a makeover. I bet it would get you a lot of new clients."

Caleb shook his head and grabbed his bag. "I must be going."

It was a little disappointing to see Caleb leave, but Jester had the beginnings of a plan forming in her head and needed some time to herself anyways to properly from them. “Okay, you have fun doing whatever you’re doing, Caleb.”

He gave her half a sad smile and left.

* * *

Caleb had practically ran the whole way to Fjord’s office and was out of breath by the time he got there. The half-orc stared at Caleb in confusion. “What are,” Caleb had to pause for a breath, “your feelings. Towards Jester?”

“She’s okay for a client, I reckon. Why did something happen?” Fjord asked.

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, I just needed to know. If she weren’t our client, would you consider dating her?”

Fjord shrugged. “Never really thought about it. I’ve never been much of the dating type, but all that money’s kinda tempting. Could get a couple of good meals out of it.”

“Don’t you dare play with her like that,” Caleb snapped.

Fjord held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I was just kidding. There’s no way a girl like her would ever be interested in me anyways.” 

Caleb snorted. Fjord has no clue what is right in front of him. Even without the money, finding a woman like Jester was a once in a lifetime opportunity. “If you asked her, she’d say yes.”

“What?” Fjord stared at Caleb like he’d grown a second head.

“If you ask her, she’d say yes.” Caleb had to hold back from snapping at Fjord again. Didn’t he realize just how precious Jester’s love was?

Fjord rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s nice and all, but I ain’t really interested in her that way.” Caleb stared at him. It didn’t make sense. How could anyone meet Jester and not instantly fall in love with her? “So you don’t have to worry about me causing any trouble with her,” Fjord said.

“Ah, good,” Caleb said, but it didn’t feel good. Now he had to go and break Jester’s heart.

* * *

Jester was quiet when Caleb told her Fjord’s response. Her forehead creased as she thought it over. Caleb wanted to say something, but there was nothing that came to his mind. “I am sorry” was the best he could come up with.

“It’s alright, Caleb,” she said, but there was a sadness to her. “Not everyone you like is going to like you back. I just thought,” but she didn’t finish the sentence and instead just shrugged. “Thanks for asking though. It’s getting kinda late. Maybe you should get going.” An invitation to leave if Caleb had ever heard one.

* * *

After an hour and a half of crying into her pillow, Jester felt better. Well, maybe not better better, but like she could function and seem like herself again. She knew it was better to know that she didn’t have a chance with Fjord, but that didn’t stop it from hurting. 

The rest of the week Caleb was acting all weird and distant, but Jester just figured that was just Caleb being Caleb and feeling bad that he was the bearer of bad news. 

But then it was Saturday and Jester couldn’t help but be excited. She was finally going to meet the famous Frumpkin and Nott. Jester had on one of her new outfits from Calianna and her hair had been cut the day before. It was a similar style to what she normally had it, but the shape of it now better suited her curls. Caleb still looked like a librarian hobo.

Caleb was nervous on their way to the used book store constantly checking the time. “I wasn’t that late,” Jester huffed. 

“Oh, nein, it’s not that. There’s just something I need to do at 11.”

“Like taking pills or something?” Jester asked.

“Or something,” Caleb said. “Now come along.”

Jester matched Caleb’s longer strides with a bounce in her step. She couldn’t wait to meet Caleb’s friend or his cat.

Caleb stopped right in front of Brenatto’s Curios. “Now remember this is practice, so we’re not here to just have fun. This needs to be taken seri-” The door flew open interrupting Caleb.

“Is this her?!” A small goblin woman held the door open and looked Jester over. “You must be Jester. Caleb’s told me all about you.”

“He has?” Jester didn’t realize that Caleb would ever think about her outside of work.

Caleb’s face turned red. “It’s not like that. I’ve only told Nott a little bit about you. Just what she needed to know for today. I wasn’t trying to gossip about you.”

Nott, the goblin had to be Nott, elbowed Caleb in the side. “Oh don’t be like that, Caleb. Caleb told me that you were the one who got him to wash his hair. That’s quite the accomplishment.” 

“Now to see if I can get him to shave,” Jester stage whispered.

“That will not be happening,” Caleb said. “Can we go in before Frumpkin gets out?”

Nott rolled her eyes. “Frumpkin hate going out even more than you do, but come in.”

The shop was a madhouse of books and antiques that had no rhyme or reason to where they went and Jester loved it. Shelves would be jumbled with old trinkets and paperbacks. There were mounds of first editions and silverware. It was everything Jester had hoped for and more. “This place is amazing!”

“It’s nothing special,” Nott said, but she was smiling anyways.

Caleb wandered the shelves and came back holding a small bengal cat. “Jester, this is Frumpkin, my cat.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Jester said shaking Frumpkin’s paw.

“He is glad to meet you as well. Would you like to hold him?” Caleb asked. 

Jester gasped. “Can I?”

Caleb nodded. “Ja. Just hold him carefully.” Gently, he placed Frumpkin in Jester’s arms. The cat gave her a small nuzzle and purred softly. 

“He’s so cute,” Jester said grinning. She was never allowed any pets in the hotel, but she always wanted one.

“Ja, that’s how he gets away with so much.” Caleb scratched under Frumpkin’s chin earning a purr. He checked the time again with a frown. “Nott, can you show Jester around? She’s been asking me all sorts of questions that I don’t know.”

Nott nodded, but gave Caleb a strange examining look. “Sure.”

“So how long have you had this shop?” Jester asked. “How long did you know Caleb? How did you meet him?”

Nott chuckled. “My husband and I’ve been running this place for nearly five years now. Though my husband, Yeza, he’s very smart, his passion is actually chemistry. He’s nearly got his phd. Just one more semester and he’ll graduate.”

Jester let out a low whistle as they went down an aisle of children’s book and ancient plush animals. “You must be very proud of him.”

“I am, but it’s no surprise since Yeza’s very clever. Not much of a looker, but he makes my heart flutter.” Nott’s smile was infectious. “As for Caleb, I met him a few years ago. He came in to get him and his cat out of the rain. This was before he started his image consultant agency and was still on the streets.”

“On the streets? Caleb was homeless?”

Nott nodded and then froze. “He never told you, did he? Oh, uh, I mean, it’s an expression?”

Jester frowned and then quickly smiled again. “Right, an expression.” Of course Jester had no right to Caleb’s past, but she couldn’t help but worry. He was safe now, but the thought of him on the streets made her throat tight. She looked around for him, but Caleb nowhere to be found in the shop. “Nott, does Frumpkin have a favorite toy?”

“Yeah, his catnip book. It’s in the back. Would you like me to get it?” Nott asked. Jester nodded. “Alright, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Jester smiled brightly as Nott went into the back, and then the tiefling turned to look for Caleb. There was no way he could’ve gone far. She glanced out the window and saw Caleb talking to a halfling man with tattoos on his neck. Caleb took out a thick envelope and handed it to the other man. The halfling pocketed it, nodded at Caleb, and left.

A clatter came from behind Jester and she nearly jumped a foot into the air. Nott had returned with the cat toy. Frumpkin leapt out of Jester’s arms and trotted over to Nott. The bell of the store jingled and Caleb came back inside. “I’m sorry. I just need a breath of fresh air.”

Nott didn’t seemed bothered by this, but Jester couldn’t help but dwell on the exchange. The only explanation she could think of for it was that the envelope was full of money. But why did Caleb hand it over to that halfling? Caleb kept glancing over at her the rest of time at the shop and Jester did her best to paste a cheery smile on her face. Soon it was time for them to go.

“I hope Nott didn’t bother you too much,” Caleb said once they got away from the store.

Jester shook her head. “No, she was great. I can see why you like her so much.”

“There’s something that’s the matter though, ja? Are you allergic to cats?”

“It’s not that either.” Jester stopped and Caleb turned to look at her. “Caleb? What did you give that halfling back there.”

Caleb blanched. “You saw that?”

“It was kinda hard not to notice. Was that money?” Jester asked. “Were you buying drugs or something?”

“It’s nothing like that. It’s nothing for you to worry about,” Caleb said.

Jester frowned. “But there was money in that envelope, wasn’t there.”

Caleb looked away. “It was. I was just … buying insurance.”

“Insurance? Was he threatening Nott’s store?”

“Nein, it’s not a threat. It has nothing to do with her, thank goodness,” Caleb said. “It’s about staying safe. But just forget it.”

Jester scuffed her shoe on the ground. “It’s kinda hard to forget. Can’t you just tell me what it was about?”

“It’s complicated.” Caleb sighed heavily. “Let’s just say that I made mistakes in the past. Mistakes I don’t want catching up with me.”

“I don’t know if that’s any better,” Jester said rubbing her arm.

Caleb shook his head and let out a dry, bitter chuckle. “I’m just making this worse,” he muttered. “What I mean to say is that I have … this ex. I managed to lose them, but I can’t afford for them to come back, so Thed’s employer agreed to help me stay hidden.”

An ex. That was all it was. The tension in Jester’s stomach released. It looked like a lot of money just to hide from an ex-lover, but it must’ve been a real bad relationship. “I hope they never find you then.”

“Ja,” Caleb gave her a weak smile, “me too.”

That sealed it. Jester was going to give Caleb the best day ever. 

* * *

Caleb had plans for his Saturday evening. Those plans were reading with his cat in his small apartment, but they still counted as plans. But Jester called him saying that she had an emergency, and he cleared his whole schedule. So he found himself hurrying to Calianna’s salon.

Jester was standing outside of it and she was beautiful. She paired one of the brighter tops Calianna got her with a purple galaxy skirt. It wasn’t something that Caleb would normally approve of, but it suited her perfectly. There was a slight smile on her face and then she turned towards him and it grew larger as she waved at him.

Caleb’s heart skipped a beat and then sped up as he got to her. “Are you okay?” Caleb asked. “You said it was an emergency.”

“Well, it’s not quite an emergency emergency, technically, but it’s super important,” Jester said. Her smile turned mischievous. “I hope that’s okay.”

Caleb sighed. It was probably about her panel at Travelercon. He didn’t know much about it, so he was just an open ear while she rambled about it and figured out the solution herself. “Ja, it’s fine, so what is this super important thing that you need help with?”

Jester grinned. “It’s in the salon.” The sign said closed, but the door opened anyways when Jester pushed it. 

“Oh, you’re here early,” Calianna said when they came in. “Let me get the rack out.” She rushed into the back.

“I don’t think I can be much help picking your con outfit,” Caleb said. “Couldn’t you and Calianna choose on your own?”

Jester pouted. “I value your opinion, Caleb, even if you know nothing about proper con attire. Besides, this isn’t for the convention.”

Calianna came out with a display rack of various outfits, most of them in shades of brown. There was also a surprising lack of skirts which were a mainstay of Jester’s outfits. On closer inspection, everything was too big for Jester. And masculine. Caleb looked up. “What is this for?”

“It’s for you Caleb!” Jester said a bit too loudly. “I thought you could use a makeover and look nice, and I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Caleb stared at the clothes. “This is too much. You don’t owe me anything. I’m just doing my job.” 

“You don’t have to take all of it,” Jester said. “Besides, you’re way more patient and fun than you have to be. You even came here without asking why. You deserve nice things.”

That wasn’t true, but Caleb wasn’t going to argue with her, especially with that smile on her face. “Danke,” he said softly. 

Jester smiled brightly. “You’re welcome! Now go try this on.” She shoved one of the outfits into his arms.

Caleb stumbled behind a curtain that served as a changing room and tried on the new clothes. It wasn’t too different from his normal clothes, but these were much nicer. A dark pair of slacks and a crisp tan button down and a rich brown vest. His typical scarf was replaced with a long light blue one that Calianna readjusted when he came out to drape over his shoulders.

“You’re really handsome, Caleb.” Jester grinned at him.

Caleb could feel his cheeks turning red. “It’s just the clothes.” He did really like the scarf though.

“There’s something missing though,” Jester said. “A jacket or something?”

“Oh! I have just the thing,” Calianna said. She went into the back and quickly returned with a purple coat.

It was rich looking and Caleb barely dared to touch it. The coat was softer than anything he had owned in years and despite the light weight he could tell that it would be warm. 

“Go on! Try it on!” Jester said.

Slowly and carefully, Caleb pulled the coat on. It fit him perfectly going down to just above his ankles. Glancing in the mirror, Caleb barely recognized himself.

“Wow,” Jester said softly.

“This is too much.” Caleb started to take it off, but Jester stopped him.

“Please? Let me get this for you.”

Caleb stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “Ja, okay. But this is a special occasions coat.”

Jester grinned. “Okay, but today counts as a special occasion.”

“Fine.” Caleb rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Great!” Jester paid for the clothes and dragged Caleb out of the store. “Ooh, we should go get your hair cut next.” 

Caleb shook his head. “Nein. It’s fine as it is. Besides, that’s Nott’s job and she’d be disappointed if I let someone else do it.” 

Jester gasped. “And I wouldn’t want to do that. But instead, you have to get your ears pierced.”

“Ja, okay.”

Jester’s eyes grew wide. “Really? I was just teasing.”

“Ja, it wouldn’t be the first time I got them pierced, but only two sets of piercings,” Caleb said firmly.

“You used to have your ears pierced? Caleb,” Jester whispered conspiratorially, “did you use to be cool?”

Caleb laughed. 

“That’s not an answer, Caleb.”

He held back another chuckle. “I think that you’d find a lot of people that thought I was the definition of uncool.”

“I don’t, Caleb. If I knew you when we were younger, I bet that I would’ve thought you were pretty cool,” Jester said confidently. 

“I really doubt that,” Caleb said. 

Jester pouted. “I’m a super good judge of character and I think you’re cool. Especially since you’re agreeing to getting your ears pierced.”

Caleb gave her a small smile. “If you say so." 

“I do. Oh and one more thing.” Jester slipped a hair tie off her wrist, pulled Caleb’s hair back, and wrapped it into a ponytail. “There,” she said taking a step back, “now we can see your handsome face.” There was a faint bit of purple on her cheeks. 

Caleb tucked a loose lock of hair behind his ear. “Danke.”

They entered a tattoo and piercing parlor. Caleb kept close behind Jester who seemed to know everyone in the shop. "Jester!" a purple tiefling shouted out. He had tattoos on his face trailing down his neck and his horns had piercings. "You escaped again."

"It's not escaping if you're an adult," Jester said trying to sound stern but failing.

"Here for another tattoo?"

Jester shook her head. "I'm here to get piercings for Caleb. He needs to be cooler."

Molly looked Caleb over. "I think he might be a lost cause."

Jester swatted at the purple tiefling. "Don't be mean. Caleb used to have pierced ears. He just needs to open them up again."

"Not all of them," Caleb said. "Only two in each ear."

"Where else did you have them?" Molly glanced downwards.

Caleb's cheeks went red and he closed his coat quickly. "Not like that. Just 5 in my right ear and 7 in my left."

Molly whistled. "Now that's impressive."

"See, I told you he can be cool," Jester said. 

Caleb sighed. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Don't you want your ears pierced?" Jester asked.

"Ja, I guess." Part of Caleb did enjoy the look of them, but it was such a hassle to get them pierced again after they closed, that he didn't bother. "I just don't like the needle part."

Jester gave him a pitying look. "I can hold your hand if you'd like Caleb."

He could feel his cheeks growing hot. "Ja, I would." 

"Okay." Jester slipped her hand in Caleb's. It was much cooler than his and it was comforting.

Caleb screwed his eyes shut the whole time and tried hard to ignore everything except for Jester's hand.

"There finished," Molly declared. "Now you'll want to keep these clean."

"And don’t touch them. Ja, I will," Caleb said.

Molly smirked. "A regular expert. If you want anything else pierced, come here. I have a discount for piercing dude's tieflings."

Caleb turned beet red while Jester dissolved into giggles. "Danke, but no," Caleb said. 

Jester waved goodbye to Molly and kept giggling as they left.

"Where to now?" Caleb asked.

Jester tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We could go to the park. I always keep peas in my bag for the ducks."

Caleb couldn't help but smile at that. It was so like Jester and so endearing to him. "Ja, let's go."

"Ja!" Jester said imitating Caleb. She slipped her hand into Caleb's again.

"Do you go there regularly for piercings?" Caleb asked

Jester shook her head. "Nope. That's where I got my tattoo."

"Tattoo?"

"Don't worry, it's totally hidden and no one will see it," Jester said. "But maybe if you ask me super nicely, I might just show you."

Caleb shook his head. "Nein, that's fine."

Jester pouted for a moment. "Ah, but Caleb, it's super cool. It's a lollipop. I like it,” she mumbled.

“Perhaps you can show me another day,” Caleb said as they got to the park.

Jester was already pulling out the peas from her pink haversack. “You’re going to like it. It’s really cool.” She stared down in her bag. “But, maybe there’s something else I can show you, but after we feed the ducks.”

Caleb nodded. “If the ducks are still awake.”

"Do you really think that the ducks are asleep?" Jester asked.

"It's starting to get dark, but I don't know much about ducks' bedtimes."

Jester turned around and started walking backwards keeping an eye on Clab. "Well, they're going to have a late night snack tonight, so they better stay awake." 

"Be careful," Caleb said, but it was too late, she stepped on a rock wrong and started to fall backwards. Before he could give it a second thought, Caleb caught her and held her close in his arms.

"Oh." Jester's eyes were wide and her lips were just inches away from his. She was impossibly close and Caleb didn't know what to do with this closeness.

"Are you okay?"

Jester nodded and Caleb carefully released her. "You're a lot stronger than you look Caleb.”

"That doesn't take much. I'm just some twigs held together by skin." He tried to give her a smile, but he could still feel her cool warmth in his arms.

"It wasn't that bad though," Jester said. "I bet if you had a girlfriend, she'd asked to be held like that all the time."

Right on cue, Caleb's face turned red. "That's, I'm, you can't-" But nothing came out of his mouth right.

A giggle escaped Jester's mouth. "I'm just teasing. If you did have someone you loved and loved you back, I'm sure that they'd think that you're perfect."

"That's an odd compliment to make."

Jester shrugged. "That's how I imagine being in love is like. Is it?"

"Why are you asking me?" Caleb asked.

"Because you had a lover onc-" Jester stopped herself and frowned. "Oh right, it ended badly. I'm sorry."

Caleb shook his head. "It's fine. It was a long time ago. And when it was new, it was perfect."

"It was?"

Caleb nodded. "The girl I loved was beautiful and I was young. It's not bad to remember."

"But you're on the run from her," Jester said sounding a bit confused.

"Ja, but it's more complicated than that. Someone can be terrible for you and hurt you, but you can still have fond memories of them," Caleb said.

Jester gave him an odd look. "Are you ever tempted to let her find you?"

"Never!" It came out more forcefully than he had intended. They arrived at the pond to find only three ducks awake. 

"Lucky ducks get a feast," Jester said tearing open the peas. "So it was real bad then?"

Caleb shrugged and then nodded. "I couldn't take it anymore. I got sick and going back would've made it worse."

"Oh." Jester frowned. "Do you ever wonder what would happen if you were found?"

"In my nightmares, ja," Caleb said. "But this is to heavy of a conversations for ducks."

Jester pasted a grin on her face, but it wasn't a real one. "Right! We don't want the ducks to get too heavy." She tossed a small handful to the ducks who lazily pecked at it.

Caleb watched her with a frown on his face. He couldn't help but wonder if he was a bad influence on her. True, she was a grown woman capable of handling the troubles of the world, but he didn't want his troubles to be among them. The problem was that he didn’t even know what he wanted.

Jester twirled around her skirt spinning about her. “Ducks fed!”

"Good," Caleb said. "We wouldn't want them to wake up hungry."

"Right!" Jester smiled widely at him, but it looked a bit more nervous than he was used to seeing on her. "Caleb? Can I show you something. Or rather, someone?"

Caleb nodded. "Ja, you can."

Jester set her backpack on the ground. "So, this is my first friend and someone super important to me, and really Mom's the only person I've introduced to him, but I think you should meet him." She pulled out a small old stuffed bear from her bag. He was well loved and had a green cloak on. "Traveler, this is Caleb. He's my image consultant and friend. Caleb, this is the Traveler, my best friend." Presenting the Traveler to Caleb, Jester eyed him nervously.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Traveler." Caleb shook the bear's small paw carefully. 

A look of relief spread across Jester's face and Caleb was struck by how perfect she was. Maybe she wasn't perfect for being the face of Lavish Chateau, but she was perfect at being Jester. And Caleb didn't want to change that. He couldn't.

"I quit."

Jester looked up quickly. "What?"

"I quit as your image consultant," Caleb said. He stood ramrod straight and refused to show any of what he was feeling. "You can take the clothes back to Calianna and you can forget everything I've ever told you."

"What?" Her voice trembled and her eyes were starting to well up.

Caleb turned and started to walk away. "Go feed the ducks at the hotel. I'm sure they are hungry." He paused. "And Ms. Lavorre, it was a pleasure meeting you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love bones' little Traveler bear. He is so cute and I want one.
> 
> And Caleb finally got his ears pierced. There's no way that anything with bones' art wouldn't have it happen eventually.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, guys! It's the final chapter! I'm really excited to share it and I hope you all like it!

Jester cried the entire way home. She thought that Caleb liked her that he was her friend, but then he quit out of nowhere and without reason. That night she wept into her mom's shoulder without explanation and her mom let her sleep in her room. The Traveler watched over Jester that night, but it didn't make anything better.

After sleeping in, Jester woke up to see a grim look on her mother's face. She was holding a tabloid. "You need to see this."

Jester took the tabloid and her stomach sunk. The picture was of her and Caleb when she stumbled and he caught her, but the headline read "Bad Boy Bren Back In Town. Eyes on Lavish Chateau's Heir?" It made no sense. It was definitely Caleb, but the article kept calling him Bren Aldric Ermendrud, former member of the pop group BAE.

"What's this about?" Jester asked.

Marion looked away. "I don't know, but it looks like he's trouble. I'm sorry, Jester. When I hired him, I thought he was going to be a good man."

"There has to be a mistake. They just think he's someone else. His name's Caleb not Bren."

“I’m having investigators look into it,” Marion said a concerned frown still on her face. “Maybe you should prepare for the worst.”

Jester withdrew a little, but smiled anyways. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Marion wrapped an arm around Jester. “Oh, my little sapphire, I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work with me. You really cared about him didn’t you?”

“Yeah maybe,” Jester shrugged, “but then he went and quit and now this and I don’t know what to think.”

"You have the biggest heart I've ever seen," Marion said. "And there's nothing to be ashamed about."

Jester leaned into her mother. "But what should I do?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm just scared that something bad might've happened to Caleb, but I don't know what," Jester said. "There was someone he was scared of. An ex he was hiding from."

Marion ran her fingers through Jester's hair combing it out. "Maybe he was trying to protect you."

Jester frowned and snorted at that. "But, he's so weak. I can take care of myself. I'm strong."

"I know that, my little sapphire, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to keep you safe,"Marion said.

"I need to go find him. Even if it's just for an explanation or a goodbye." Jesler looked up at her mom. "I have to do this."

Marion brushed back Jester's hair one last time. "I know. Come home safe," she said pressing a kiss into Jester's forehead.

* * *

It was three AM when Caleb saw the picture of him and Jester online. Ever since he placed the phone call, he knew that it was coming. Caleb was not naive enough to believe that nothing would happen. He packed and unpacked his suitcase eight times debating running away, but that was just delaying the inevitable, and despite quitting, he didn’t want to leave Jester, not by choice.

Caleb froze with that thought. Did she really mean that much to him? He was already throwing away his business for her and his safety, but did that mean he cared so much for her?

The door of his apartment opened behind Caleb at 5:46 AM. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“It’s been too long, Bren.”

* * *

Jester got to Nott's shop as fast as she could only to discover that it wouldn't open for another half hour. With a groan, Jester waited by the door. She paced the whole time struggling to keep calm. Fifteen minutes before the store was supposed to open the door flung open. “Jester!” Nott cried out. “Where’s Caleb?”

“You don’t know?” Jester’s stomach went cold.

Nott shook her head. “No, he was supposed to pick up Frumpkin last night, but he never came. And he would never forget about Frumpkin.”

Jester went pale. “I think I might know what this is about, but I don’t know why.” She showed Nott the newspaper clipping.

“I was afraid of something like this would happen,” Nott said biting at her lip. “Caleb’s past never seemed that far behind him.”

“So Bren’s really Caleb? Or Caleb’s really Bren?” Jester asked.

Nott nodded. “Caleb never talked about it much, but from what I can gather yes. Something bad happened and he dropped out of that life.”

“But why?” Jester asked.

Nott shrugged with a shake of her head. “I don’t know. He practically begged that I didn’t look into his past. I was waiting for him to be ready to tell me, but now it’s too late.”

Some part of Jester couldn’t help but feel like this was somehow her fault. “I’m sorry Nott.”

“I’m just worried about him. The world can be hard on gentle souls like him.” Nott sighed and looked like she was close to crying. “I’m sorry, but I think the store will be closed today.”

“Oh okay. Take care of yourself,” Jester said as Nott locked the door. It took all of her strength to not just sit down there and start crying. She was trying to convince herself to go when she saw across the street someone who looked vaguely familiar. It took her a moment to realize that it was the halfling that Caleb handed the envelope of money to. Before she could have any second thoughts, Jester ran across the street and caught him by the shoulder. "You!"

"Me?" the tattooed halfling said trying to sound nonchalant, but it didn't work. His nerves got the best of him.

"Yeah, you. You're the one that Caleb was paying to keep him safe," Jester said.

The halfling looked away. "I don't know what you are talking about." He tried to pull away, but Jester's grip was too strong.

"Look, I saw Caleb hand you the money and he said that he was paying you to keep him safe and hidden from his ex, but now he's in the paper and you failed in your job." Jester glared down at him with a steel in her that she didn't know she had.

"Hey, it's not like that," the halfling said. "He changed the contract."

Jester loosened her grip, but the halfling still couldn't get away. "What contract?"

The halfling rolled his eyes. "His protection contract. He transferred the protection last night from one Bren Aldric Ermendrud to you, Miss Jester Lavorre. He and the Gentleman signed it. Your little boyfriend is no longer under our care."

"The Gentleman?" The name sounded familiar to Jester. "Wait, is that the mob boss that's rumored to be my dad?"

The halfling winced at that. "I'm not allowed to confirm or deny knowledge of that rumor, but for the next three months, you don't have anything to worry about."

"But what about Caleb? Or Bren?"

The halfling shrugged. "Like I said, he's no longer our concern; you are. Now how about you run along home like a good girl?"

Jester glared down at him and then turned away. If they weren’t going to do anything about Caleb, then it was up to Jester.

* * *

It was a few weeks before Jester had another chance to visit Nott's shop. Jester's schedule was jammed pack with preparing to fill her mom's shoes. Fjord had taken over for Caleb.

"Hi, Nott," Jester said as she entered the store. "Have you heard from Caleb?"

Nott shook her head. "No, you?"

Jester shook her head too. "Not a word, but I've been doing my research." She pulled out her phone and pulled up the articles. "Apparently BAE used to be all over the news. Especially Bren."

"I remember their music everywhere, but not the news. But then again, I was just in 5th grade when they broke up," Nott said.

"He was a major bad boy. I think he got arrested like 15 times for public disturbances, but nobody got hurt it looked like." Jester frowned down at the phone. 

Nott looked over her shoulder. "He looks almost constipated." Bren had the same look on his face in almost all the photos. A fake smile that Jester knew all too well and would frequently wear herself. "I really can't see Caleb doing any of those things."

Jester flicked through the articles. "Except this one." The article was about how Bren had adopted all the cats from three different animal shelters. That felt incredibly like Caleb and he was even smiling for real in the pictures. "The public stunts just get bigger after this."

Nott read the next article quietly. "That doesn't seem safe."

"They get worse from that." Bren wasn't even faking looking happy after that point. Jester was almost tempted to not show Nott the final article she could find on Bren, but it was the final piece of his past.

The blood drained from Nott's face as she read it. "'Has Bren Aldric Ermendrud finally lost it? At last night's BAE concert, the young star started screaming halfway through their first set. Speculation says that the strain of stardom has taken its toll'." Nott looked up at Jester. "He was only 17."

Jester rubbed her arm. "I know. It says further down that he was admitted to a hospital."

"He spent a long time in a psych ward. Caleb told me that much," Nott said. "After that he was on his own until he came in here."

"It's hard to believe that Bren and Caleb are the same person."

Nott frowned. "I can. When he first came in, Caleb was a frightened slip of a thing. It's amazing how much he's grown since then. But it's a fragile growth."

"I'm sure wherever he is, he's okay," Jester said forcing a smile. She just hoped that she was right.

* * *

Caleb huddled in the back corner of his dressing room counting his breaths trying to will himself to calm down. It was not a successful attempt. He kept telling himself that this was his choice, that he decided to come back. 

He had tried to stand up for himself when his manager told him that he needed to go on a diet again. Caleb only just barely could no longer see his ribs and he didn’t want to go back to that. But Caleb signed a contract and after an hour and 33 panic inducing minutes, he agreed to the diet.

Footsteps went past his door and Caleb held his breath in fear of being discovered. The footsteps faded away and Caleb could breathe again. This time was supposed to be different from the first. Caleb was an adult now; he should be able to look after himself. But instead it was all panic attacks and hoping nobody notices him, like he was 17 all over again.

* * *

It was the day of Travelercon and Jester’s panel and she couldn’t keep the butterflies out of her stomach. She knew that it was just a con and a small one at that. Travelercon only took up one wing of the convention center. Most people wouldn’t see it as important, but it was important to Jester. 

Jester paced the back hallway to calm her nerves. Pacing eventually became a walk and she eventually got lost. Her already frayed nerves managed to get even more nerves. While Travelercon only took up a small area, the whole of the convention center was much bigger and a bit of a maze. There were other events going on at the center that day as well. Apparently there was some sort of press conference going on and Jester had managed to stumble upon it. 

She debated just leaving, but Jester was going to be doing these soon herself and really it couldn't hurt to see what she should be expecting. Then she overheard what the press release was for. "Can't belive that BAE is actually getting back together. I was so into them in high school," a reporter said.

"Not the whole group. There's no way that they're getting Bren, and without him it's not the same."

"You didn't see the papers? He's out in public again. I even saw him earlier." The two reporters wandered off, but Jester remained there frozen. Caleb was there. Caleb was there and going back into music, but that sounded so unlike him. Though Jester was starting to question how much she really knew him. But that wasn't going to stop her from looking for him.

She stuck close to the walls and managed to blend in with the busy stage crew setting everything up until she managed to spot Caleb. He seemed nervous checking over his shoulder like he was checking to see that no one had seen him. As he stepped into the men's bathroom, Jester followed him in. Caleb nearly jumped a foot into the air when the door closed behind Jester. “I’m just, I’m just using the bathroom, that’s all.” There was almost a palpable terror to his voice. Turning around he saw her. "Jester? What are you doing here?" His eyes widened and darted about.

"I heard you were here and I wanted to see you." Jester scuffed the floor with her shoe. "Travelercon's here too."

He was even better dressed than he was the last time she saw him. His hair was much shorter barely touching his ears and slicked back. Caleb was all dressed in reds and dark blues that suited him surprisingly well. There was even make up on his face. All in all he was styled to be unbelievably hot. And he looked miserable. "You shouldn't be here." Again his eyes darted about like he was expecting spies.

Jester pouted up at him fighting back tears. "We haven't seen each other in forever and that's all you have to say to me?"

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t talk right now. You should go. And maybe forget that you saw me.” Caleb didn’t even look at her, but his hands were shaking.

“How can you say that? I thought we were friends. Me and Nott have been worried sick about you."

Concern wavered on Caleb's face and then it was gone. "Well, you've seen me and I'm fine.” A bigger lie Jester had never heard. Caleb was clearly on the verge of falling apart. “Now you can let Nott know that I'm fine."

"You're not fine though. You look terrible," Jester said. "Your ex, did she find you?"

Caleb looked away from her. "He found me, but that doesn't have anything to do with you."

Jester shook her head. "I don't think so. You gave up your protection for me. Why?"

He stiffened, but his hands were still shivering. "Who told you that?"

"That halfling guy. The one with the tattoos."

Caleb swore in Zemnian (or at least Jester assumed it was swearing). "Can't trust anyone. You have to go.” He was nearly pleading. “It's not safe for you."

"If it's not safe for me then it's not safe for you," Jester said. She touched his arm, but Caleb flinched away.

"You don't understand."

Jester scowled at him. "That's because you won't tell me anything. Come with me. You don't have to stay here."

Caleb shook his head repeatedly and turned away. "Yes, I do."

"Caleb, I don't know what you're afraid of, but let me help." Jester grabbed his arm and tugged it. "I bet it won't be as scary with a friend."

He spun around to face her. "You don't understand. I think I'm in love with you and he knows it." Caleb shook even harder and tears started to well up in his eyes. "He'll do anything to keep me and that includes hurting you and it’s all my fault."

“You’re what?” Jester couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“I think I love you, Jester. And I know that I shouldn’t and that I don’t deserve you and that I just ruined everything, but I love you.” It wasn’t at all what Jester pictured when she’d imagine someone confessing their love to her for the first time. Caleb was shaking and looked so small. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Tears were streaming down his face now and he was letting out loud hiccuping sobs.

Jester wrapped him in a tight hug. She had no idea what to think of what he just said, but that wasn’t going to stop her from comforting him. “It’s okay. You can cry with me. I won’t tell anyone, not even the Traveler.”

Caleb let out a weak laugh between sobs and just let Jester hold him. His frame shook as he cried into her, but it calmed down with time. "Thank you," he said pulling back. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Jester said. "I mean for the crying. You will have to apologize for disappearing and scaring me and Nott. Now, will you tell me what this is about? Who is he?"

Caleb dried his eyes with his sleeve. "Ja, he's my ex-manager, Trent Ikihton. Though, he's my manager again now. He's the one that made me who I am today."

"A complete mess?" Jester asked.

"Nein. A star." But he didn't look like it. Caleb looked like he wanted to run away as far away as possible. "Trent helped form me make me. Everything I did was precise and measured. It was all to create the perfect persona."

Jester frowned. "One that steals traffic cones and gets drunk on libraries?"

"I see you've read the tabloids." Caleb rubbed at his arms. "I was supposed to be a bad boy. Someone who is oh so terrible but oh so exciting. But I was never very good at it. I tried and I tried because if I didn't I'd be letting the group down, letting our fans down."

"But you hated it," Jester said.

Caleb gave her a weak, flimsy smile. "Ja, but everyone has things that they hate that they must do."

"It drove you mad."

A nod. "It did." Caleb sighed. "I was weak and Trent was terrible. Don’t let him near you.”

“He locked you away in some forgotten psych ward, but not before making sure you were part of a media circus, didn’t he?" Jester asked. Caleb nodded. "And you went back to him? Why would you do that?" Jester asked. "This is obviously making you miserable."

Caleb laughed. It was dry and heartless. "You don't understand. I don't have a choice."

Jester frowned at him. "Yes, you do. You can just leave and go back home,” she said gently. “Go back to Nott's. Frumpkin misses you."

"It's not that simple. Trent has the pictures. He can release them the second I step out of line," Caleb said rocking slightly.

"What pictures?" Jester asked. She didn't like the sound of it. Trent must've had some terrible blackmail on Caleb.

He turned away. "From your night with the senator. The ones in the tabloids are nothing compared to these."

"So?" Jester asked. "Release the pictures. I don't care about them, I care about you."

Caleb's fists balled up. "You didn't see them. They-" he cut himself off. "To call them compromising is putting it mildly."

Jester looked Caleb in the eye. "What do you think happened that night?"

"I don't know. There's pictures of him kissing you and your clothes-" Caleb's face turned bright red.

"I pushed him away every time."

"The angles they were didn't make it look that way," Caleb said. "Your reputation-"

"I don't care about my reputation! I care that someone just listens to me for once about what happened! You and Mom keep saying you don't care about what happened, but I know you think that I'm an idiot who did something dumb and got taken advantage of. And I'm not!" Jester yelled. She regretted it as soon as she said it. Caleb was already going through a rough time and now she was just making it worse.

Caleb's eyes grew wide and he took a step back. "Oh. Then what did happen then?" 

“It’s nothing,” Jester said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I want to hear what happened.”

Jester took a deep breath. "Mom got an invitation to a fancy party and she couldn't go, so I took the invitation and went myself. I've never got to do that sort of thing before, so I thought it'd be fun. But everyone there was drunk and it was just weird, you know. And then the senator kept trying to take me to his room and it sucked. So, I did what anyone would do." 

"And what is that?" Caleb asked.

Jester pulled out her cellphone and showed Caleb a picture on it. "I tricked him into some frilly lingerie and locked him outside."

Caleb laughed when he saw the picture. "That's amazing. You're amazing." His eyes softened at her. "Jester, I've-"

"Been a jerk," Jester said.

"Ja, I have." He nodded and stared at the phone.

“But you’ve also been hurt bad too.” Jester stared at him. “But that doesn’t excuse being a jerk.

Caleb sighed. “I don’t have any excuses, but I can’t let Trent do anything to you.”

Jester rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself. Besides, I don’t care what the world thinks of me. You know the truth.”

“Trent will not stop there. He never does. That’s just the start.” Caleb’s shoulders sagged down. “I wish I knew a better way to keep you safe. And a better way to be your friend.”

“It’s okay, Caleb.” It was obvious he couldn’t even take care of himself. “We’re leaving.” Jester took him by the hand and led him to the door.

Caleb stumbled next to her. “What?”

“You want to be a better friend? You’re going to see my panel that I worked so hard on,” Jester said.

“But Trent-”

“Will have to get his own ticket to Travelercon,” Jester said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun and after that we can go visit Frumpkin.”

Caleb ducked his head down, but he smiled. “Danke.”

* * *

Caleb didn’t really understand what Travelercon was or what Jester was talking about, but she was wonderful. There were only six other people at the panel, but they seemed to be enjoying it. As for Jester, there seemed to be a glow of excitement around her. 

Once the panel was over, Jester chatted with an elderly gnoll before bouncing over to Caleb. “How was it? Did I do good?” Jester asked.

“You were fantastic,” Caleb said. That was putting it lightly. He wished he had the words to say how she made him feel, but he had blown his chance of anything happening. And he was making his peace with that. Caleb was just grateful that she was letting him stay around her.

Jester pumped a fist into the air. “Yes! See I told you that this was a super good idea and great practice.”

Caleb just smiled softly at her. “Ja, you were right.”

“So, we should probably get going and get you out of here,” Jester said as they left the panel room. “We don’t want your creepy ex to find you.”

“I don’t know if he still counts as my ex. I did go back.”

Jester stopped and frowned up at him. “Are you still thinking about going back there?”

Caleb looked away and shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s a dangerous man. And I can’t let him do anything to you.”

“I am an adult,” Jester said. “I know that nobody notices that fact, but I am. I can make my own decisions and I decided that I want to keep you safe.”

Caleb’s cheeks flushed red hot. “You do?” His heart fluttered and he had to remind himself that he had absolutely no chance with her.

Jester nodded. “Of course I do. You’re my friend, Caleb. Besides, it seems like you’re in more danger than I am.”

And being her friend was enough for Caleb. He could live to be a hundred and not ask for more. “Thank you Mis- Jester.”

“No problem.” She smiled like it was the easiest thing in the world. “Now come on. It’s practically dinner time, and we still need to get to the Lavish Chateau.” Jester offered her hand and Caleb took it.

They were nearly out of the hotel when someone caught Caleb by the arm. “And where do you think you are going.” It was Trent.

Caleb’s heart stopped beating and he felt ill. This was all too easy. He should’ve realized that he could never escape Trent. All Caleb could do was delay the inevitable.

“The press conference was supposed to be an hour ago. I thought you knew better than to waste time like this,” Trent said crossly. It was like Caleb was a teenager again.

“He decided he didn’t want to go to that.” Jester crossed her arms and stepped in front of Caleb. “Now, there are super important things we have to be doing now, so if you would please excuse us.”

Trent scowled at her. “He’s not going anywhere. Come along Bren, the press is waiting. You’re lucky they haven’t left already.”

Caleb’s heart thudded loudly in his ears. Before he would’ve followed Trent without a word or a second thought, but now if almost felt like he had a choice. Almost. He started to loosen his grip of Jester’s hand, but she tightened it in response. “Caleb,” he said so softly it was barely audible to his own ears.

“What was that?” Trent demanded.

Caleb stared him in the eye. “My name is Caleb Widogast now.”

“Are you really that dumb?” Trent asked. Caleb broke eye contact and shrunk down.

“Caleb’s not dumb!” Jester shouted taking step towards Trent. He was taller than her by at least half a foot, but she wasn’t backing down. “He’s really smart and cool and nice!”

Trent snorted. “This is the girl you’re trying to protect? She’s not worth it.”

“Don’t you dare say that! She’s better than anything!” It had been years since Caleb had yelled out anything. The words tore at his throat and it ached, but it felt good to let them out.

“Do you know how easily I can ruin her reputation?” Trent asked. “All it would take is a single email.”

“Go ahead, I don’t care.” Jester was as composed as a queen.

Trent glared at her, pulled out his phone dramatically, and pressed a button. “You’re little escapade will be all over the news by tomorrow morning.”

Jester stared at him blankly. “Do you really think that I’d care? Let’s go Caleb.”

“Ja,” Caleb said. He tightened his grip on Jester’s hand and followed her out. It took all his will power not to look back.

* * *

Jester paced the floor trying to gather all her will and nerve for the press conference that would be her start as the face of the Lavish Chateau. There was no way that she was ready for this. Caleb was helpful when it came to stuff involving confidence or remembering things, but whenever Jester asked for advice on how to behave, he’d just go quiet.

For the last three days, Caleb had been staying at the Lavish Chateau. He tried to refuse, but while he was with Trent, the lease on his apartment had expired, so he had been evicted(though from what Jester heard that wasn’t much of a loss). Nott had brought Frumpkin and a lot to say to Caleb. She was mad at him, but grateful that he was okay. It was kinda nice to have Caleb around, but Jester still wasn’t sure that she had forgiven him quite yet. Jester knew it was a complicated situation, but that didn’t excuse his behavior.

“How do I look?” Jester asked. It was a crisp business suit with just a hint of color. Perfect for a serious professional, but it wasn’t very good for spinning in.

Caleb shrugged his shoulders earning a sour look from Jester. It wasn’t like he had lost his touch. In the three days that he been there, he had helped two bell boys get a raise and one of the concierges get a promotion. But when Jester asked for his opinion, he had nothing to say.

“Cay-leb,” Jester said drawing out his name. “You’re supposed to be helping me with my image.”

“I quit that job remember?” Caleb smirked as he looked up from the book he was reading. He was doing a lot better since Travlercon. 

Jester pouted. "But I trust your opinion."

"Oh, in that case," he set his book down and gave Jester a serious look over and just shrugged, "you look nice."

"That doesn't count," Jester said. "You've been acting super weird about this."

Caleb looked away in his chair. “I don’t think I’m a good judge on this anymore.”

Jester pulled at the hem of her jacket. "But you're really good at this. You've been a lot of help with everything, and I couldn't have gotten this far without you. What did I do to make you mad?"

"Mad? What makes you think I'm mad?"

"You quit out of nowhere and you won't help me now. If you think that I'm hopeless, the least you could do is tell me that this is pointless." She could feel her cheeks growing red with frustration and took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "I mean you probably have better clients to work with."

Caleb stood up and clasped her hand. "Is that what you really think?"

Jester pulled away. "It's fine, Caleb. I know that I'm not good at being a professional adult. But it's fine."

"Are you upset?" Caleb asked.

Jester shook her head. "It's nothing, Caleb. You can leave if you want."

"But I don't want to. You said that it was okay for me to cry around you. Well, it's okay for you to be upset around me. Or cry, but I have a feeling that's not what you need right now," Caleb said with a hint of a smile.

"It's not like that," Jester said. "I'm not trying to cause trouble."

Caleb snorted. "If you were trying to cause trouble, I'd be outside in a girdle. But you're not, you're trying to please me."

Jester turned away. "It's not like that either. It's not like I'm trying to seduce you or anything."

"You seduced me a long time ago with your charm. No, I'm talking about being the perfect smiling always yesing woman who has to make everyone happy. That's not what I want to see. I want to see you get angry," Caleb said. "I know you have it in you."

"Nobody wants to be angry," Jester said.

"Ja, but sometimes you need to be." Caleb stepped next to her. "So why not be mad at me?"

Jester turned to face in. "You? But you didn't do anything-" she started to say, but that was a lie. "You left without a word and came back like it was nothing. And you keep apologizing, but that doesn't make it any better."

"Ja, I know," Caleb said.

Jester shook her head her curls flying about. "No, you don't! You don’t know anything. I don't have friends. I'm not allowed outside even though I'm an adult! And when I am there's always a guard hiding five yards back. Everyone tells me how I should be or what I should be, and it's never enough for anyone! I can't do what I want without permission, and I have to do this stupid press conference and just say what everyone else wants me to say and none of my words are mine and they'll never be mine and it's not fair. You don't even like the Traveler who is my best friend and how am I supposed to even think about dating you if you don't like my best friend and yes I know how dumb it is for my best friend to not even be real, but he at least stays around me unlike everyone else. And I! HATE! BEING! ALONE!" Fat ugly tears were running down her cheeks and she was panting and breathing hard.

Caleb stared at her and then held out his shirt sleeve. "I don't have a tissue, but you can use this if you'd like," he said. 

"Thanks." Jester wiped her face off with his sleeve dragging his arm about. 

“Do you need to cry more?” Caleb asked. “Cause I meant it when I said you can cry around me. I wouldn’t judge you for it.”

Jester leaned into his side and more tears slightly ran down her cheeks. “You probably think I’m petty now and wish that you had a better client to fall in love with.”

“Nein.” Caleb offered her his other sleeve. “Do you know why I quit?”

“Cause you have deep-seated self worth issues and subconsciously sabotage the relationships that matter the most to you?”

Caleb paused. “Nein. Well, there might be a good chance of that actually. I’ll probably need to talk to a therapist about that. But it was because there’s nothing I would change about you. You’re perfect as you are, Jester.”

Jester huffed. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Nein, I really think that. You look nice now, but you’d look better in one of glittery skirts,” Caleb said.

“That’s not very professional though,” Jester pointed out.

Caleb nodded. “I know. Which is why I can’t work as your image consultant. You’re your own woman, Jester, if you want to change yourself because you want to, I will support you in this, but I refuse to change you because someone else thinks that you’re not perfect as you are. I don’t want you to change.” His voice was almost softer than a whisper.

“You don’t?” It was the first time anyone said something like that to Jester. Everyone wanted Jester to change. Her mom never said it in words, but Jester could tell from her tired sighs.

“Nein, I don’t,” Caleb said.

Jester hugged herself and held tightly. “I have to though. To fit in the world I have to change.”

“Then find a place in the world where you don’t have to.” He placed a gentle hand on Jester’s shoulder. “You’re an amazing woman, Jester, who is capable of things people can’t even imagine.” Caleb removed his hand. ”That’s what I think at least.”

“You really think so?”

He nodded. “Ja, I do. I think you can do whatever want.”

Jester frowned looking at the ground. “All I know is that I don’t want to do this. I mean I don’t mind being the face of the Lavish Chateau one day, but I mean, I’ve never even left the city.”

“Do you want to?” Caleb asked. 

"Go out and see the world? Of course! But my mom needed me here with her. She still does," Jester said. "It's not so bad though."

"But you want to leave."

Jester shook her head. "Not like that, but it'd be nice to go and see things."

Caleb rubbed his chin. "Ja, it would. I'm sorry Jester, but you're clearly not ready for the responsibility of taking over for your mother."

"I know," Jester said sinking down. She didn't want to disappoint anyone, but she hated feeling like a failure anymore.

"I'd recommend a year visiting all the Lavish Chateaus in the chain," Caleb said.

Jester laughed. "I wish."

"Why not?" Caleb asked. "There's no big changes predicted for the year and you can hold off any major appearances. This press conference could be announcing the transition, but we can make it more gradual during your travels."

"Would anyone even agree to that?" Jester asked.

"I don't see why not," Jester's mom said stepping into the room.

Jester gasped. "Mom! What did you hear?" Her stomach sunk. She hoped that her mom didn't hear too much of what she said. The last thing that Jester wanted was to hurt her mom.

Marion smiled at her. "Enough. I wish you had told me sooner how you felt."

"I didn't want to disappoint you. Besides you work too hard, you deserve to retire," Jester said.

Marion ran a hand through Jester's hair. "Another year won't hurt me, and I think that Caleb's right. You should see the world. It would also do you some good to see how the different hotels are ran."

"Really? But I was supposed to start tomorrow, can I really?" Jester asked. "The world can be dangerous."

"Oh my little sapphire, I should've let you go on your adventures long ago," Marion said. "But I think it was worth waiting for the perfect escort."

"Escort?"

Marion towards Caleb. "You would be willing to go with her, correct? It would put my mind at ease to know that someone was watching over her."

Caleb's face turned red. "I'd be honored! If Jester would let me that is."

"I would!" The enthusiasm in her response surprised even Jester. The thought of exploring the world with Caleb made her heart skip a beat.

Marion smiled in a knowing way. "I'll handle the press conference.” She pressed a kissed onto Jester’s forehead. 

The two of them sat together in silence once Marion had left. It was Caleb that broke the quiet. “Want to go feed the ducks?”

“Yeah, I would,” Jester said. After grabbing the corn, she slipped her hand into Caleb’s.

“Does this mean something?” Caleb asked.

Jester glanced down at their hands. “I don’t know yet.”

Caleb made a thoughtful sound. “Okay. I saw the papers today.”

“And?” So far only one of the photos that Trent had threatened them with had been released. It was one of the more harmless ones, so Jester and Caleb had been holding their breaths on what would happen next.

“Nothing.” Caleb sighed. “This isn’t like him. He should’ve made his next move by now.”

“Maybe he’s decided that that was enough.”

Caleb shook his head. “Not likely. He’s merciless.”

They got down to the duck pond just outside the hotel. "How did you ever get involved with him?"

"Local talent show. I thought I was lucky to get noticed by him," Caleb said as the ducks gathered around them.

Jester tore open the package of corn. "Hmm. Do you still sing?"

"Not in nearly 16 years," Caleb said. "It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth."

"Oh. If it stops leaving a weird taste in your mouth, I'd like to hear it." Jester took a small handful of corn and scattered it about for the ducks.

Caleb smiled down at the ducks. "Maybe someday."

"Do you two know how hard you are to find?" It was the tattooed halfling. "This place is practically impossible to get into. I ended up having to wait out here for you."

Caleb stepped in between him and Jester. "What do you want?" he practically growled.

The halfling held up his hands. "Hey, hey. This is just a friendly business meeting. Just letting you know that you don't have to worry about your little problem anymore."

"What little problem?" Jester asked.

"We couldn't stop all the photos from being leaked, but we were able to stop the tap," the halfling said.

Caleb's face screwed up with thought. "You mean Trent?"

"Bingo. You got it in one guess."

"Wait," Jester said. "Did you do something to him?"

The halfling held up his hands again. "Not me personally, but you don't have to worry about him any time soon. Or at all."

"Is he still alive?" Caleb asked.

"That's nothing for you to worry about. But when the Gentleman is asked to protect someone, well, let's just say you don't want to get caught by him." The halfling adjusted his coat. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves." And he left.

Jester stared after the halfling. "Do you think they killed Trent?"

"I have no idea what to think," Calebsaid sounding a little shell-shocked.

"Did you accidentally hire a hit on someone?"

"I have no clue."

A pushy duck quacked loudly at them. "Oh, sorry," Jester said tossing out more corn. "Do you think that they other hotels have ducks?"

"I don't know? But I think we could probably find parks with ducks," Caleb said. "You don't have to bring me if you don't want to. I don't really work for you anymore."

"But I do want you to come along. I'd miss you if you didn't." Jester focused on the ducks not ready to look at him.

"You would?"

Jester nodded. "Yeah, I would. I like you Caleb. And I think I want to spend more time with you."

Caleb gulped loudly. "You would?"

"Yeah and get to know you better. And who knows, maybe go out on a date with you."

A gasp. "Really?"

"Really, but not quite yet. It really hurt when you ran away like that. The next time you're in trouble I need you to tell me," Jester said finally turning to see him.

His face was red and his eyes were shiny. "I will. I promise. And if anything's bothering you, no matter how small it is, I want you to tell me."

"I will." Jester smiled up at him. "I need one more promise from you."

Caleb looked down at her with a serious expression. "Ja? What is it?

"I need you to promise to keep feeding ducks with me."

Caleb laughed. "Jester, I will feed as many ducks as you want."

"That's a lot of ducks, Caleb. It's going to take a long time to feed them all," Jester said.

"I look forward to it."

It was going to be a while to rebuild trust, but Jester had a feeling that it was going to be worth it. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to bones for being such a great partner! Her art is amazing! And I hope that my writing lived up to it.


End file.
